Newsletter from Hugh Groman Catering and Greenleaf Platters

Hugh Groman Catering and Greenleaf Platters
Holiday 2010 Newsletter

www.hughgromancatering.com

Your service is impeccable. The food as usual was delicious. I feel like we can always count on Hugh and all of you! Thanks so much.
-Quote from a recent Greenleaf Platters client when we asked her how her event went

We donate 1% of our revenue to the Alameda County Community Food Bank

THANK YOU

A special thank you to Erika Pitera, who recently featured us in her Indie Bride Blog. Erika features all sorts of wedding related information on her blog and includes tons of great pictures and descriptions to help plan a unique wedding. Of course we also appreciate those of you who have reviewed HGC and Greenleaf Platters on social networking sites such as YELP, Berkeley Parents Network and Chowhound, as they are one of the most powerful sources of new business for us. THANK YOU!

Staff Spotlight
Jennie Bertone
Cook

We are happy to feature Jennie Bertone in this Staff Spotlight.

We love Jennie for her unflappable energy, her dry sense of humor and her wealth of knowledge about and deep skill in baking.

Baking has been something that Jennie has enjoyed since she was a child. After a brief career in music education, conducting for the San Francisco Girls Chorus, Jennie decided to become a baker full-time. She was fortunate to spend three years baking at Crixa Cakes in Berkeley where she came to love desserts inspired by Austrian and Hungarian traditional pastries. It was during this time that her near-obsession with trolling for recipes began. There are few things that she makes twice when baking at home. There are simply too many things to try and with which to experiment.

Aside from baking and searching for new recipes, Jennie spends most of her time knitting, sewing, gardening, and keeping up with her soon to be six-year-old son, Thomas.

Jennie loves coming to work at the HGC kitchen because there's always room to experiment. She also feels fortunate to be surrounded by people that have a wealth of knowledge to share and that make her belly-laugh every day she's in the kitchen.

Questions or comments?
E-mail us at nina@hughgromancatering.com
or call 510-647-5165.

Message from Hugh

As Thanksgiving approaches, it seems a good time to express gratitude. I am grateful for my husband and our sweet baby puppy Scratchy, who recently turned 14! I am grateful to have family nearby. I am grateful for my health. I am grateful to have such wonderful, likable people to work with. I am grateful to my clients and friends who send me business. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

Sincerely,
Hugh

Featured Recipe - Vegan Cashew Chermoula Aioli

1 red bell pepper, roasted over stove and peeled
2 tablespoons roasted cashews
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 small garlic cloves, 1 chopped and nutted, the other sliced to go in to the blender
juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1/4 bunch cilantro, washed and large stems removed

1. In blender, blend pepper until smooth.
2. Add next eight ingredients with salt and pepper. Blend
     until smooth.
3. Slowly drizzle in oils, starting with just a few drops, to
     create emulsion.
4. Blend in cilantro.
5. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

For conversions between weight and measure, click here.

Quick Tip

Here is a great kitchen tip for whipped cream from Jennie (featured in our Staff Spotlight.)

If you've turned your back on your mixer for too long and your cream is curdled and on its way to becoming butter, simply add more liquid cream and mix in very slowly until the whipped cream smooths out again. Of course, one must anticipate this and reserve a little liquid cream when first pouring the liquid into the mixer, otherwise you'll end up making another trip to the store. (This won't work with half and half or milk.)

Environmental Focus

My friend Robert Nathanson is involved with a new company that sells biodegradable plastic bags (for food storage and trash). We're using his products for our landfill trash and for food storage bags for client leftovers. I asked him to send me some information about the products so I could share it with all of you. Keep in mind these products are biodegradable, but because they do contain plastic they can't be put into compost.

Here is what Robert has to say:
"PrideGreen provides the first & only 100% biodegradable and sustainable food storage bag and garbage bag that is on the market & shelves of stores today. Available are Sandwich Zip-n-Seal, Quart, Gallon and Two Gallon Zip-n-Seal, as well as 13 Gallon Tall Kitchen Draw String and 33 Gallon Draw String. All bags come with the ASTM D6954 certification & FDA approval. As of today there are two on the market that are approved by government standards, BioBag (compost) and PrideGreen (Garbage and Food Storage)

Available at Berkeley Bowl, Alameda Natural Grocery, Piedmont Grocery, Lunardi's, Draeger's, Cal-Mart, Canyon Market, Bryan's Market, Marina Market, Real Foods Co, Urban Harvest, Harvest Ranch, Valencia Whole Foods, Select Ace Hardware &True Value, & many more."

A Vegetarian Fundraiser Dinner From this Past Summer
Menu An assortment of toasted nuts, olives and cornichons marinated with garlic, thyme, orange zest and extra virgin olive oil First Course Whole wheat shells and chickpeas in a sauce of tomato, caramelized onion, garlic, lemon and fresh herbs, with crisp sage leaves and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano (can be made vegan) Dinner Heirloom tomato salad with fresh goat cheese, herb salad and a lemon black olive vinaigrette Grand Aioli: Roasted potatoes, cauliflower, grilled corn, sugar snap peas, haricots verts, radishes, roasted carrots and hard boiled eggs with two sauces: Vegan chermoula roasted red pepper aioli, and salsa verde aioli A selection of Acme bread and homemade gougères provided with the meal Dessert Maple brandy crème brûlée Homemade vegan truffles with coconut milk and toasted almonds

Hugh Groman Catering

Hugh Groman Catering is a full service boutique catering company providing the highest quality food and party planning services for events up to 1000 guests. Our customers want delicious, interesting food, served with warmth in a simple, elegant style, and they want us to make it all easy for them.

Greenleaf Platters

At greenleafplatters.com we provide party platters unlike any others you may have had in the past. We offer the same quality food you've come to expect from Hugh Groman Catering, served on elegant white porcelain platters, delivered and set up at your event. This service is for those who don't need staff party planning services, but want to impress their guests with exceptional food.